LotR Books: What is Tom Bombadil?

[mooby]

Everybody's favorite rhyming guy from Fellowship that got the shaft is still a mystery to me.

Is there any history on who/what this guy is in any of Tolkien's writings?

 

[Eben]

I believe both he and Goldberry are supposed to be Maiar: spirits that existed before elves and men. Read "The Silmarillion"
(Sauron and the wizards (Ishtari) are beings of the same type, b.t.w.)

 

[Umbran]

I'm not at all sure they are maiar. Gandalf's a Maiar, and he has to worry about the Ring's effects. Tom Bombadil laughs unconcernedly in the face of the ring. That suggests that Tom might be something else.

 

[Mark]

I'm not at all sure they are maiar. Gandalf's a Maiar, and he has to worry about the Ring's effects. Tom Bombadil laughs unconcernedly in the face of the ring. That suggests that Tom might be something else.

I believe the general thinking is that since Tom seeks no power and doesn't desire to wield power, the ring has no desires to corrupt. Perhaps the same reason why Hobbits are so difficult to corrupt (their aspirations being small). *shrug*

 

[Lurks-no-More]

Tom Bombadil was, IIRC, Tolkien's cat, who got his name into the book early while LotR was still more fairy-taleish (like the Hobbit).

Anyway, in the book I think it's obvious that he's a maia.

 

[Mulkhoran]

I remember reading at one point that Bombadil represented something that was older than Sauron, older than anything in the memory of the world. That he was essentially nature embodied, and "little things" like the ring of power were so beneath him that it didn't even have a chance of affecting him.

I don't think he's Maiar, since all of the Maiar of the Third Age were restricted by certain covenants of action, and even Saruman couldn't/didn't act against some of those covenants. Bombadil seems much more powerful and primal than a maiar.

 

[shilsen]

I remember reading at one point that Bombadil represented something that was older than Sauron, older than anything in the memory of the world. That he was essentially nature embodied, and "little things" like the ring of power were so beneath him that it didn't even have a chance of affecting him.

I don't think he's Maiar, since all of the Maiar of the Third Age were restricted by certain covenants of action, and even Saruman couldn't/didn't act against some of those covenants. Bombadil seems much more powerful and primal than a maiar.

That's the way I always saw Tom, almost as the land of Middle-Earth embodied in humanoid form. There are numerous references in the books which link him to the earth and the land. The whole Bombadil section works wonderfully in the books (for me, at least) as a symbol of the beauty and life of Middle-Earth that goes on beyond the War of the Ring, but which is still imperiled by and dependent upon its results. I think the reason he always gets dropped (from the BBC version, from the original board game, etc.) is that it's difficult to even imply what his meaning is without a lot of exposition, which is difficult to do in a time- bound production.

 

[Eben]

Originally posted by Mark:
I believe the general thinking is that since Tom seeks no power and doesn't desire to wield power, the ring has no desires to corrupt. Perhaps the same reason why Hobbits are so difficult to corrupt

Nice.
Corruptability in Tolkiens work seems to lie in the ability/decire to create. It's almost an ancient Greek theme. Look at Melkor during the song of creation. Look at Feanor and the Noldor who brought about their doom because of the creation of the silmarils and finally look at Sauron when forging the ring.
Hobbits are content too let things grow, they do not desire to manipulate or create on their own. They are content with what and who they are. (Same goes for the Vanyar.)

 

[VorpalBunny]

IIRC, Tom was a "lesser" Valar (not one of the original 13 created by Eru - like Melkor/Morgoth). As a Valar, he would be more powerful and older than the Maiar (like Sauron).

 

[Squire James]

I think Tom is a Maia who "went down" early, and never made any deals with the Valar or anyone else. Like Melian, he was very powerful within his limited sphere of influence, but he was unwilling to leave it.

Tom could probably handle the Ring because of his complete lack of ambition, like the hobbits could because of their near-complete lack of ambition.

The Ring must have been very frustrated with the fact that, after Isildur, everyone who handled it was some sort of hobbit! Gollum's idea of a perfect world was essentially him sitting on some throne with fawning servants feeding him fish 3 times a day! The Ring had to tempt Sam with a gardner fantasy, which was pretty pathetic as temptations go! Just when it finally fed Frodo enough ambition to break his will... here comes "fish-boy" Gollum again! I almost feel sorry for It.